Peonies originating in America will be found 
in another chapter. 
In a monograph on the Peomj written hij Mr. J. 
Eliot Coit, lor Cornell University, he gives seven 
most excellent reasons lor the popularity ol the 
Peony, as follows: 
1. They are easy to grow; anyone can raise 
glorious Peonies with less trouble than it takes to 
grow roses. 
c 2. Peonies well established are permanent 
features in the garden, or at least as permanent 
as is desirable. 
3. Peonies are perfectly hardy wherever ap- 
pies can be grown, passing through the most severe 
winters without injury, and very easily protected 
where not hardy. 
4. The blooms are large, showy, of various 
forms and of all shades of color from white to 
purple, and even pale yellow. 
3. Many of the new varieties are deliciously 
fragrant. 
6. They are practically free from insects and 
disease. No spraying, dusting, or hand-picking 
of worms is necessary. 
T. They are equally successful as a cut flower 
and for artistic landscape effect. 
THE MODERN DOUBLE HERBACEOUS PEONY 
(Paeonia Herbacea Sinensis) 
By JOHN M. GOOD 
About Its Culture, Soil, Drainage, Etc. 
The Peony is of such easy culture that it is not 
at all particular like most plants as to the soil; 
they will grow in rich, in poor, in clay, in sand 
and in black soil and thrive in all of them. We 
prefer a sandy loam such as we have here in the 
fertile lands of the great Miami Valley of Ohio. 
Prepare your ground by digging at least two feet 
deep; your beds should be well drained so that 
all surplus water gets away quickly; Peonies, will 
not stand wet feet. 
Another very important matter is that your soil 
must be free from acid. This is caused by a com¬ 
bination of too much humus and poor drainage. 
Peonies will not thrive in a soil containing same. 
A simple test for acid is to get a nickel’s worth of 
litmus paper at the drugstore, place a piece of 
this paper inside a handful of moist soil—not wet 
—that you wish to test. If the paper turns from 
blue to red it detects the presence of acid; the 
redder the paper turns the more acid. To coun¬ 
teract the acid place lime in the soil and this will 
sweeten it 
Fertilizers, and How Not to Use 
This is the particular part about Peony culture. 
If there is one thing that a Peony dislikes more 
than another, it is to have such fertilizers as con¬ 
tain ammonia and potash to come in direct contact 
with the roots, especially in allopathic doses. You 
had better put on the soft pedal and go carefully; 
it causes two things to happen, burning and de- 
caying the Peony roots. To avoid this we never 
use the land to plant Peonies soon after manure 
has been applied, until a couple of years have 
elapsed, giving the manure time to become disin¬ 
tegrated and thoroughly incorporated with the 
soil; neither do we cover the Peonies with manure 
during the winter as some do, for the reason that 
the stem of the Peony is hollow and by covering 
them the substance of the covering, by rain and 
melting snow, is carried down to the heart of the 
plant and the manure water will play havoc by 
almost annihilating your roots. You then ask 
how we fertilize. By turning under a crop or 
two of cow peas and rye before planting and 
after planting to use any kind of stable manure 
between the rows, care being taken to avoid 
getting it near the stems of the plant. Manure 
should be applied during early winter. Amateurs 
may apply all their fertilizer in the form of manure 
after planting as stated here and be assured of 
grand results. Liquid manure may be applied 
after the buds appear in the springtime. Get a 
barrel that holds water; fill with manure and pour 
on water till barrel is full; let it stand a few days, 
stir, and apply liquid once or twice a week to 
the ground immediately around the Peony roots 
Planting Time, Where, How- 
Peonies may be planted any time the ground 
is in condition to work from September 1st till 
March 13th. In Ohio we prefer September, 
October and November for three reasons: Usually 
the ground is in better condition to work during 
these months; then again, when the time comes 
for the root to start in the Spring it is in its proper 
place ready to grow instead of coming from the 
grower or in your cellar, and maybe the ground 
is not in condition to plant, while the root ijou 
planted in the fall is growing all the time; and 
again, it saves storing and caring for them during 
the winter time; then again, Peonies can be sold 
cheaper in the fall time as the expense of storage 
is avoided. 
We never put high priced Peonies in storage. 
You must get them in the fall if you buy from us. 
The loss of what would remain unsold would 
more than wipe out the profit on what we would 
sell at that season of the ijear. 
Peonies may be planted effectively in several 
positions; in beds by themselves, as a background 
to plantings of other perennial borders, as a fore¬ 
ground for shrubbery groups or borders, in single 
The Good & Reese Company, Springfield, Ohio 
Page Nine 
